To Live & Let Die For: Rhea's Story Year 1
by quidditchcutie07
Summary: During her first year at Hogwarts, Sirius Black's daughter Rhea learns more about the mother she never knew and befriends a handsome redhead. COMPLETED
1. Midnight Talks

Eleven-year-old Rhea Bennett lay in bed wide awake. She saw a faint light coming from the corridor outside her room. She could never sleep with any light. Sighing, she got out of bed and put on her slippers and robe. She then tiptoed down the stairs and into the kitchen where the light was coming from. What she saw made her stop and smile. Her father was sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of hot chocolate in front of him. He appeared to be deep in thought.  
  
Sirius was thinking about death. He had already lost his best friend and the love of his life. Death frightened him. Sirius and Antigone had been lovers at Hogwarts. During their seventh year, they had decided to take their relationship to the next level. A few months after, Antigone had broken the news to Sirius: In six months time, he would be a daddy.  
  
Sirius loved Rhea with all his heart but he always felt that she should have a mother. Even though Rhea insisted she was happy with just the two of them, her father knew that she longed for the mother she had never known.  
  
One night when Rhea was one-year-old, her parents took her to her godfather's-James Potter-house while they enjoyed a quiet night out. When Sirius had gone to pick Rhea up, Death Eaters came to their house and attacked Antigone. Sirius arrived back home in time to take her to St. Mungo's, but he was too late to save her. Antigone died that night, leaving Sirius alone to care for their child. But the saddest thing was that Sirius had proposed to Antigone that same night. And she had died.  
  
Sirius shifted in is chair. He seemed to have sensed his daughter's presence because he abruptly turned around and saw her leaning against the doorframe watching him.  
  
Hey, love," he greeted her. He motioned for her to come and sit in his lap.  
  
"Hey, Dad," replied Rhea with a smile. She walked over and sat in his lap. "What are you doing up so late?"  
  
Sirius chuckled. "I could ask you the same thing, young lady!" he teased.  
  
Rhea laughed. "What were you thinking about?"  
  
Sirius' face suddenly grew solemn. "I was thinking about your mother, Rhae," he said softly, using the nickname Antigone had given her.  
  
Rhea looked down. "What about her?" she whispered, trying to hid the tears welling up in her beautiful green eyes.  
  
Her father seemed to have noticed them because he pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her tightly.  
  
"I proposed to her the day she died," he said sadly.  
  
The tears threatening Rhea's eyes began to fall. "I never knew," she whispered.  
  
"I know. And I'm sorry I never told you. It hurt me too much to think about it."  
  
Rhea nodded. Her father was her hero. He was brave, loyal, and loving. It hurt her to see him in such pain.  
  
They sat in silence for a while before Sirius spoke.  
  
"I really think you should be going off to bed now, gorgeous," he said lovingly.  
  
Rhea smiled. Her father was always telling her how beautiful she was.  
  
"You're right," she said, yawning.  
  
"You wouldn't want to be too tired on you your first day at Hogwarts, now would you?" he teased.  
  
Rhea laughed. She was very excited to be starting at Hogwarts. She stood up and stretched, revealing an inch or two or firm stomach.  
  
"Dad, can I get my belly-button pierced?" she asked randomly.  
  
Sirius smiled. "When you're fifteen," he said with a smile.  
  
"Eyebrow?"  
  
"Sixteen."  
  
"Tongue?"  
  
"Seventeen."  
  
Fair enough."  
  
Sirius walked Rhea up to her room and tucked her into bed.  
  
"Goodnight, my love," he said kissing her on the cheek. "I love you."  
  
love you, too, Dad," said Rhea right before falling asleep. 


	2. The Morning After

The Morning After  
  
Rhea awoke the next morning with a sense of apprehension. Then she remembered that today was the day she started at Hogwarts. She groaned, sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. After stifling a yawn she finally got up and went downstairs.  
  
Sirius was in the kitchen. He was.  
  
"Cooking?!" exclaimed Rhea. "Dad, are you trying to burn down the house?"  
  
Sirius turned around. "Hey, I'm not such a helpless case!" he protested. "I can cook simple pancakes if I really want to!"  
  
"Well then, you must not want to," said Rhea, trying to hide a small smile.  
  
Sirius raised his eyebrow. Rhea pointed to the stove behind him. His attempt at pancakes had somehow exploded!  
  
"How the hell did that happen?" he muttered as he cleaned up the mess.  
  
Rhea was laughing in the corner.  
  
"Might I ask what is so funny?" asked Sirius with mock annoyance.  
  
"I can cook simple pancakes if I really want to!" said Rhea imitating her father.  
  
Sirius shook his head. "You really should be getting ready, love," he said. "First day of school today!"  
  
Rhea stopped laughing. "Oh, about that," she said matter-of -factly. "I've decided not to go to school this year."  
  
Sirius stared at her. "You're joking, right?"  
  
Rhea frowned. "Dad, you find ways to screw up things like pancakes; how am I supposed to be at school knowing that the house might be burning down?"  
  
Sirius laughed. "Baby, if this about pancakes, don't worry. I'll refrain from making them."  
  
Rhea remained silent and suddenly became very interested in her metallic red fingernails. Her father noticed her and a worried look crossed his face.  
  
"This isn't just about pancakes, is it?"  
  
Rhea shook her head.  
  
Sirius strode over to her and enveloped her in his arms. She returned his embrace and tried not to cry.  
  
"Don't worry, love," Sirius said, stroking her hair. "It'll be okay."  
  
Rhea nodded. Her father was all she had left and the thought of leaving him for any amount of time made her feel nervous. She looked up at him and smiled.  
  
"You're right!" she said too cheerfully. "I'd better go and get dressed."  
  
She headed to her bathroom and turned on the shower. After she finished, she went to her closet and pulled out her school uniform. She looked at it with a raised eyebrow. She had plans for this outfit.  
  
When Rhea walked back downstairs, she looked totally different than any other Hogwarts girl would have. She had rolled up her skirt a tad and fluffed it out. She didn't bother tucking in her crisp white Oxford shirt; instead she let it peek out from underneath her gray jumper. Then she pulled her socks up to her knees and slid into black shoes with slight heels. She had to admit it: She looked good.  
  
When she reached the kitchen she sat down at the table. She took an orange from the fruit bowl and started to peel it.  
  
"Hello, again," she heard her father say from the pantry. He came out and looked at her. "Let's see your uniform, then."  
  
Rhea smiled and stood up. She turned a full circle and then spread her arms out as a model would do on the catwalk.  
  
Her dad laughed. "Love, you look absolutely adorable! But if you manage to walk around school for a day wearing that you'll have made Hogwarts history!"  
  
Rhea bit her lip and frowned slightly. "It is allowed, though, isn't it?" she asked nervously.  
  
"Honestly, I don't know," replied Sirius. "Nobody's ever had the spunk to do it!"  
  
"No one until me, that is," beamed Rhea. 


	3. Goodbyes

Sirius and Rhea got to the train station via Sirius' flying motorbike. Only they didn't fly, so as not to attract the attention of Muggles. Rhea loved the bike and couldn't wait until she would be able to drive it.  
  
Upon arriving Platform 9 ¾, Rhea spotted her friend Nymphadora Tonks. She was actually related to Nymphadora-or Tonks as she liked o be called. Her father and Tonks' mother were cousins.  
  
"Dad, there's Tonks and Auntie Andromeda!" said Rhea excitedly. Sirius turned and waved hem over.  
  
"Hey!" said Tonks excitedly. She hugged Rhea and Sirius in turn.  
  
"Hey, yourself!" said Rhea laughing. "You look great!" Tonks did look great. He wore her uniform properly, but her hair made up for it. It was short, spiked, and pink. Tonks was a metamorphmagus and could change her appearance at will. She was constantly taking advantage of this rare power.  
  
"You girls should probably start boarding the train," said Andromeda. "The train will be leaving in a few minutes."  
  
Rhea nodded. Sirius took her trunk and Tonks' and started loading them onto the train. When he came back he put an arm around Rhea. She looked up at him and willed the tears to stay away. Sirius smiled.  
  
"Bye, love," he said, enveloping her in a huge hug. "Owl me when you get there."  
  
"I will," promised Rhea. "Take care, okay?"  
  
"Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you?"  
  
"You're the one that needs to be told."  
  
"You're right."  
  
Tonks pulled on Rhea's arm. "Come on, Rhae, we're going to miss the train!"  
  
Rhea nodded and started to walk towards the train. Then she stopped as if remembering something important, turned back around and ran into her father's arms.  
  
"I love you, Dad."  
  
"I love you, too, baby."  
  
Rhea reluctantly turned and hastily boarded the train. 


	4. Newfound Friendship

Once on the train, Rhea and Tonks searched for an empty compartment. At the end of the hallway, there was one-but there was a boy sitting in it alone. Rhea couldn't help noticing that he was very good looking.  
  
"Excuse me," said Tonks, interrupting Rhea's thoughts. "May we sit here, please?"  
  
The boy looked up from his book. He had flaming red hair and his eyes were a beautiful, deep shade of blue.  
  
"Sure," he said smiling.  
  
Rhea and Tonks went in and sat down. Rhea wasn't sure whether or not it was her imagination, but the boy's eyes never left her.  
  
"I'm Bill," said the boy. "Bill Weasley."  
  
"Nymphadora Tonks," said Tonks. "But please, call me Tonks. This is my friend Rhea Bennett."  
  
"Hi," said Rhea softly. What was happening?! Why couldn't the bold, outgoing Rhea Antigone Bennett speak in front of the most gorgeous boy in the world?!  
  
"Hey, Rhea," said Bill. He flashed her that adorable smile.  
  
Tonks elbowed Rhea and shot her a questioningly look.  
  
"So are you a first year, Tonks?" asked Bill.  
  
"Yeah, you?"  
  
"Same here."  
  
"Um, Rhea, could I speak to you for a moment?" asked Tonks. She glanced at Bill. "Alone?"  
  
"Sure," said Rhea. She smiled at Bill and followed Tonks out into the hall.  
  
"What was that?!" asked Tonks.  
  
"What was what?"  
  
"That! In there! You were hopeless! Since when are you nervous around a boy?!"  
  
"I don't know! There's just something about him that makes my heart rate quicken and I feel like I could get lost in the depths of those gorgeous blue eyes.."  
  
"Um, Rhae? You're getting all poetic on me again."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Forgiven."  
  
"So what do I do now?"  
  
Tonks smiled mischievously. "Well, I suggest going back in there and showing that boy what he's got to work with!"  
  
Rhea raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Or.you could just go in there and act normal."  
  
Rhea smiled. "That works for me."  
  
When they went back into the compartment, Rhea daringly took a seat next to Bill. He looked at her, surprised, but then settled down and started to talk to her.  
  
"So do you know what house you want to be in?"  
  
"Well, I'd love to be in Gryffindor," she replied. "Both my parents were. You?"  
  
"Yeah, Gryffindor sounds the best. My mum and dad were in it, too. But I suppose Ravenclaw would be okay. But I hope that whatever house I'm in, you'll be in it, too."  
  
Rhea blushed. "Yeah, I'd love that."  
  
Suddenly, Tonks cleared her throat. Rhea looked up, startled, and realized that she had forgotten Tonks was even there!  
  
"Sorry, Tonks," said Rhea. "We were just.."  
  
"Quite all right," she said, giving Rhea a knowing look.  
  
The three of them spent the rest of the train ride talking and laughing. Bill was really sweet. Rhea noticed that once again, he couldn't seem to take his eyes off her.  
  
Rhea smiled to herself. This was going to be an interesting year! 


	5. Sorting & Settling

A little while later, the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade Station. Rhea, Tonks, Bill and the rest of the first years took the traditional boat ride across the lake and to the school. They were led by Hagrid, the school's gamekeeper. Rhea had heard stories about him as well as the other members of the Hogwarts staff. She knew to keep an eye out for greasy-haired Professor Snape, and she also knew to try not to fall asleep in Professor Binns' class. However, it was Snape who Rhea was really worried about. He and Sirius had gone to Hogwarts together and they each held an utter loathing for the other. Rhea was afraid that Snape might try to take his hatred for Sirius out on her.  
  
Hogwarts Castle was a magnificent sight to behold. Rhea felt a rush of excitement as she realized that for the next seven years, this would be her home for most of the time. Among this excitement she also felt a deep sadness. She didn't know exactly what it was, but then she realized that this castle was where her mother and father had lived. This is where they had fallen in love. This is where she had been created.. Rhea shook her head to rid herself of these images. She didn't even know that much about her mother. Sirius had never wanted to talk about her. Sure, he had loved Antigone fiercely and had been heartbroken when she died, but he couldn't leave his daughter wondering forever. Maybe Rhea would be able to find out more about her mother while she was here.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The Great Hall was packed for the welcome feast. Rhea was standing in line with Bill and Tonks, waiting to be sorted. Finally, Professor McGonagall came out holding a heavily patched up hat on a stool. This must be the Sorting Hat.  
  
Surely enough, it was. It sang a song before McGonagall started calling up students to be sorted. Finally she called out..  
  
"Bennett, Rhea!"  
  
Rhea took a deep breath and started to walk up. Bill gave her reassuring pat on the back and Tonks quickly hugged her. When she reached the front, she sat down and McGonagall placed the hat on her head.  
  
"Hmmm..," said the hat in her ear. "A Black, eh? Oh, and a Bennett as well. Well, there is intelligence in there.from your mum definitely. And quite a bit of loyalty. You possess the finest trait of each parent! And I think that means. GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
Rhea let out the breath she didn't know she was even holding. She got up and walked to the Gryffindor table, which was cheering madly. Some of the boys were even catcalling! She sat down next to a handsome boy who looked to be about seventeen. He smiled at her and patted her on the back.  
Three more people were sorted into Gryffindor by the time Tonks' name was called: Hestia Jones, Anthony Miles, and Aimee Prince. Hestia and Anthony seemed friendly but Aimee was sulking and kept shooting glances over at the Slytherin table. Rhea wondered what she was doing in Gryffindor.  
  
Finally, it was Tonks' turn. She was up there for almost a minute before the hat placed her in Gryffindor. Rhea clapped and cheered loudly along with the others. Tonks came over and sat by Rhea and they watched until Bill was called up. He too was placed in Gryffindor and when he came over to the table, Tonks winked at Rhea and slid over so Bill could sit by her.  
  
"I'm glad we're in the same house," she said into her ear. "I'd really like to get to know better."  
  
Rhea felt her heart race. "Looks like you and I are going to be really close by the time this year's done with."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
~*~*~  
  
After a filling feast, everyone trudged up to their dormitories. The cute boy Rhea had had the pleasure of sitting next to at the feast happened to be a Gryffindor prefect named Gareth Sullivan. He gave the first years a tour of Gryffindor Tower. Then, she showed them to their respective dormitories. Rhea and Tonks said goodnight to Bill and then trudged up to their dorm with Hestia; Aimee lagged behind.  
  
The dorm was spacious and cozy. Anyone who came in would automatically know that it belonged to four girls. Each four-poster had a different colored bedspread made out of a shimmery, satin material. Rhea jumped onto the bed with the blue bedspread; Hestia and Tonks taking the ones on either side of hers. Since they were all tired, they fell asleep soon after reaching the dorms.  
  
Rhea sighed happily. She was sure that Hogwarts would be a wonderful experience. 


	6. Heart to Heart and Guy Talk

Rhea had the strangest dream that night. She could see her mother-or at least she thought it was her mother-being sucked in to a howling whirlwind and calling out to her. But the closer Rhea tried to get to Antigone, the farther away she felt. Just before Antigone was sucked completely into the whirlwind, Rhea woke up, breathing heavily. She quickly pushed the dream to the back of her mind and fell asleep again.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Rhea woke up a couple of hours later. She glanced at her clock. It read 6:40. She knew she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep so she decided to go sit in the common room and read.  
  
But when she got down there, she saw someone else. It was Bill. He was sitting on the red sofa and staring into the fire. Rhea walked over.  
  
"Hey," said Bill. He looked at her and smiled.  
  
"Hey," said Rhea. She suddenly realized that she was only wearing a short spaghetti-strap tank and low riding pajama bottoms. She blushed and crossed her arms in front of her chest in a weak attempt to cover herself.  
  
Bill seemed to notice and he smiled. He patted the spot next to him, gesturing for her to sit down. She did, awkwardly.  
  
"So what are doing up so early?" she asked him.  
  
"I couldn't sleep," he replied. "And I'm also used to getting up early. Comes with being the oldest of six children."  
  
"Six?" asked Rhea, amazed.  
  
"Yeah," said Bill rolling his eyes. "I mean, it's great growing up with a large family, but it can start to get annoying after a while."  
  
"I'll bet," said Rhea.  
  
"So what about your family?" asked Bill. "Have you got any brothers or sisters?"  
  
"Nope. It's just my dad and me. My mum..died when I was a baby."  
  
"Oh, I'm so sad for you," said Bill sincerely.  
  
Rhea nodded. At least he hadn't said he was sorry. For some reason, that always bugged her. "It's alright. I'm happy with my dad. And besides, my godparents just had a baby. That was great."  
"Really? That's wonderful."  
  
"Yeah, it is," said Rhea pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Little Harry. He's precious."  
  
"I'll bet. I love little kids."  
  
"Me, too. But I like having people my own age around, too. I mean, my dad's awesome, don't get me wrong. But sometimes I wish I had more people to talk to, you know what I mean?"  
  
Bill nodded. "Well, you can come over anytime. My brothers would love you."  
  
Rhea laughed. "Tell me about them."  
  
So Bill proceeded tell Rhea about his family. There was ten-year-old Charlie, who was obsessed with dragons; Percy, who was probably the only well-behaved four-year-old in the world; two-year-olds Fred and George, the mischievous twins; and little Ronnie, who had just turned six months. Also, there was another one on the way.  
  
Rhea was fascinated. After growing up with just her dad, she thought how different it must be so different to grow up with six other people in the house.  
  
They remained silent for awhile.  
  
Bill broke the silence. "We should be getting ready. Breakfast will be starting soon.  
  
Rhea sighed. She had liked sitting alone with Bill, getting to know him. She got up and stretched, completely forgetting her quite revealing attire.  
  
"See you at breakfast, then," said Bill.  
  
"Yeah," said Rhea. "See you." The each went up to their dormitories.  
  
When Rhea got to her room, she saw Tonks, Hestia, and Aimee getting dressed.  
  
"Where were you?" inquired Hestia. She was brushing out her curly, burgundy-colored hair.  
  
"I was talking to Bill," replied Rhea, digging through her trunk.  
  
"Are you serious?" asked Tonks.  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"Hello! Bill Weasley is only the most attractive boy to set foot inside this castle!"  
  
"I agree," said Aimee.  
  
Rhea looked up. She hadn't heard Aimee speak until now.  
  
"You're so lucky," continued Aimee. "He really likes you.  
  
Rhea frowned slightly. "He doesn't like me, he's just my friend."  
  
"Uh-huh, sure."  
  
"So what do you guys think of Anthony Miles?" asked Hestia.  
  
Rhea thanked whatever higher powers there were for this sudden distraction.  
  
"Oh, he's fine," said Tonks. "Very fine."  
  
Hestia smiled. "Lay off girl, he's mine!"  
  
Tonks sighed. "There are four Gryffindor first years and only two boys. How will we manage?"  
  
"Slytherin boys are quite sexy, too, you know," said Aimee. "Hmmm, I'll have to ask my sister to hook me up with one since Rhea's obviously got a hold on Bill."  
  
Rhea rolled her eyes. Looked like being friends with a boy was a crime, now. 


	7. Ian, Snape, and Unwanted Popularity

Ian, Snape, and Unwanted Popularity  
  
Rhea continued getting ready. She wore her uniform like she had before; only this time she also had a Gryffindor tie tied loosely around her neck.  
  
"Wow. You look good!" complimented Hestia.  
  
"Thanks!" said Rhea. She pulled out a small bag and applied some red glitter to her eyelids. Then she spread clear lip gloss over her lips and put silver hoop earrings in her ears.  
  
"Love it," said Tonks, looking Rhea up and down. "Could I see that glitter?"  
  
Rhea laughed and tossed Tonks the glitter.  
  
Tonks took some and spread it over her cheeks. "Ready to go?"  
  
"Yeah," said Hestia. "Let's go."  
  
When they got to the common room, they saw Bill and Anthony talking. Anthony looked up as the girls arrived. "Hi girls."  
  
"H-Hi," stammered Hestia. A small blush started to creep up her neck.  
  
Rhea surveyed the scene. Anthony was cute; he had spiky black hair and deep brown eyes. He even had a small silver stud in his left ear. He and Hestia would look great together.  
  
Breakfast was fun. Tonks kept changing her hair and ears. Everyone in the vicinity was watching and cracking up. Finally, she stopped with a spiky blue pixie hairstyle and pointy ears. She looked adorable.  
  
Rhea meanwhile was looking at her schedule.  
  
"No!" she moaned. "I really don't want my first class here to be Potions."  
  
Bill looked over her shoulder. "That really isn't right," he muttered.  
  
"You're telling me? It just so happens that the Potions master was my dad's arch nemesis while they were here."  
  
"Ouch. That's really bad, then."  
  
"Tell me about it."  
  
Tonks tapped Rhea on the shoulder. "Look," she said pointing up at the Staff table.  
Rhea did. "Oh. My. God. Who is that?"  
  
Tonks shrugged and tapped Hestia's shoulder.  
  
Rhea continued gazing. Sitting on the Staff table next to Professor McGonagall was a man who looked no older than twenty. His hair was dark and spiked stylishly. His eyes were a crystal blue and when he smiled, Rhea noticed a dimple in his left cheek. Whoever he is, please let him be one of my teachers! Thought Rhea.  
  
Bill seemed to notice Rhea's reverie. "What?" he asked.  
  
Rhea smiled dreamily. She jerked her head in the direction of the Head Table.  
  
"Ah."  
  
Anthony turned around and smiled. "That's my brother," he said nonchalantly.  
  
"What?" said Rhea amazed.  
  
"Well, he's really my half brother. Him and Gareth Sullivan.  
  
"Really?" said Rhea, thinking of the cute prefect.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What's his name and what does he teach?"  
  
"His name's Ian and he teaches Defense against the Dark Arts."  
  
Aimee joined the conversation at that moment. Rhea went back to talking to Bill.  
  
"So what else have we got today?" he asked.  
  
Rhea looked at her schedule. "Well, after Potions we have Charms, and then we have Defense against the Dark Arts."  
  
"Cool."  
  
They went back to eating then, but Bill remained unusually silent.  
  
~*~*~  
  
When they reached the dungeons for Potions, Rhea and her fellow Gryffindor first years took seats at the back. To Rhea's disgust, they shared this lesson with the Slytherins. Aimee's twin sister was a Slytherin, so she also sat with them. Adeline was nice; Rhea wondered why she was placed in Slytherin.  
  
Professor Snape then entered the dungeons. The first thing that came to Rhea's mind was, Dad's right, he is a greasy-haired git!  
  
"Settle down, settle down, while I call attendance," he said. He called role smoothly until he reached Rhea.  
  
"Bennet, Rhea.." He looked up at her coldly. "Let me guess, Antigone and Sirius' daughter."  
  
Rhea felt like shooting back with "Yeah, so?" But she refrained. Instead she nodded.  
  
"I knew your father. And I hope against all hope that you're nothing like him."  
  
This time Rhea lost it. She stood up, eyes glaring. "And so what if I am?"  
  
Snape sneered. "Five points from Gryffindor, Miss Bennet," he said, putting the stress on her last name. "And if you don't sit down now, it'll be five more."  
  
Rhea, being the bold Bennett-Black that she was, thought that five points was a small price to pay for the hell Snape had put her dad through. So, she didn't sit down.  
  
"Miss Bennett," warned Snape.  
  
But Rhea had no intention on listening. She continued. "I may be my dad's daughter, but that doesn't mean I'm him. So if you knew what was good for you, you'd get over your little..aversion for my dad and get on with your life." She tossed her hair back, satisfied.  
  
Snape looked taken aback for a moment but then gained back his cool composure.  
  
"You tell him like it is, Rhae!" cheered Tonks from beside her.  
  
"Miss Tonks, you have lost ten points from your house. Miss Bennett, you have lost fifty. You will also be attending detention for the next week. Please see me after class.  
  
Rhea was not upset at all about the points. Her friends congratulated her as she sat down and began to work. Wait until she told Sirius....  
  
~*~*~  
  
That day, Rhea was the subject of all gossip at school. Wherever she went, she heard whispers of, "Look there's Rhea Bennett! Did you hear what she said to Snape? That git had it coming," and "Wish I could have been there, would have backed her up all the way."  
  
Even the Slytherins seemed to find what Rhea did entertaining. There was this one first year, Tim Wilkinson, who would keep looking at her, trying to catch her eye at lunch. Aimee noticed and pointed it out to her.  
  
"Hey, Rhae," she said. Rhea noticed that everyone had started calling her Rhae. She liked it.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you know that blonde cutie over at the Slytherin table that keeps checking you out?"  
  
Rhea looked over. Sure enough, Tim was looking at her. He winked when she looked over before turning back to his friends.  
  
Rhea turned back and rolled her eyes. "No, why?"  
  
"Well, he keeps looking over at you for a start. I thought maybe you two were, you know, friends."  
  
Rhea raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Or," Aimee continued with a sly smile. "He could want you as more than a friend."  
  
"Aimee, why is it that whenever a boy looks at me, he's suddenly my love interest?"  
  
"No reason," said Aimee airily. "It could be the fact that you're popular and all the first year boys and even some second years are talking about you."  
  
"They'd talk about you, too, if you said what I said to Snape."  
  
"Right, that's exactly why they're saying how cute you are."  
  
Rhea honestly didn't know how to respond to that. She bit her lip and started talking to Bill and Anthony.  
  
Behind her, Aimee smiled, pleased with herself.  
  
"You act like being popular is no big deal," she commented.  
  
"Well it isn't," replied Rhea. "Not to me, at least." 


	8. The First Defense Class

After lunch, they had Defense against the Dark Arts. Aimee, Hestia, Tonks, as well as the Slytherin (yes, they had this class with them, too) girls kept checking their hairs and applying more lippy. Rhea actually thought it was quite funny; she wore make-up and wore cute clothes because she thought it was fun to play around with her looks. Other girls did it for the boys.  
  
"Settle down, class," said Ian in a delicious Southern Scottish accent after calling role. "I am Professor Sullivan and I will be teaching you the art of defense this year. Are there any questions before we get started?"  
  
"Yes, please Professor," said Tonks. "Will we be demonstrating any of these defense spells? Because it usually takes me some time to master them. And it would make it so much easier if I had a..iprofessionali to help me."  
  
Rhea bit her lip to keep from laughing. Only Tonks would act to innocently flirtatious around a teacher.  
  
Professor Sullivan looked at her. "Yes, we will be demonstrating, Miss Tonks. Usually I find it easier that we split into pairs when working on new spells. If you'd like I can pair up with you for today?"  
  
Tonks looked as if he had asked her to marry him. "I'd love that," she said dreamily.  
  
"Good," said Professor Sullivan smiling. "I love your hair color by the way. Very imaginative."  
  
Tonks fingered her electric blue locks. "Thank you."  
  
Tonks winked at Rhea. Rhea gave her thumbs up and then looked over at Bill who was sitting right by her. He smiled and opened up his book.  
  
That class they learned the disarming spell. The class was actually ahead of where Professor Sullivan expected them to be and he thought that he'd let them try something more difficult. They mastered it.  
  
Rhea had been paired with Bill. He got it on the third try while she got it on the second.  
  
"Did you know this one before," he asked her.  
  
"Yeah," she replied. "I mean I've never actually done it, but my dad told me all about it." She laughed. "Told me I'd probably need it one day. That and Stupefy for all the boys."  
  
Bill took one step back.  
  
Rhea laughed. "I doubt I'll need it on you. You're such a sweetie. I know you'd never try and hurt me."  
  
Bill smiled. iI'd kill myself before hurting you, Rhaei, he thought.  
  
"Very well done, class!" said Professor Sullivan. Just then the bell sounded. "You may go, but for homework read chapter one in your textbooks, please. Have a great rest of the day!"  
  
Rhea started to walk out when Professor Sullivan called her.  
  
"Rhea, may I speak to you for a moment?"  
  
Bill patted her on the shoulder and told her he'd meet her outside.  
  
"Sure," said Rhea, walking over to his desk and wondering what she had done wrong.  
  
Professor Sullivan smiled. "It has been brought to my attention that you received a detention from Professor Snape for speaking your mind in his class," he said, eyes twinkling.  
  
Rhea blushed. "Yeah."  
  
"I never thought I'd see the day when anyone dared to challenge that git," said Professor Sullivan, catching Rhea completely off guard.  
  
Rhea honestly didn't know how to respond to that.  
  
"Don't tell anyone I said that, though, I could get into so much trouble."  
  
Rhea nodded.  
  
"The reason I called you up here was to tell you that I volunteered to oversee your detentions," continued Professor Sullivan. "I practically begged Severus for the job and finally he agreed."  
  
"If you don't mind me asking, but why did you volunteer to oversee my detentions?"  
  
"Because you had enough spunk to do something I've wanted to do for years," stated Professor Sullivan simply. "And I know that Severus would have you do something completely unfair."  
  
Rhea smiled. This guy was cool.  
  
"You can meet me in my office from five to seven everyday this week. Bring your school things."  
  
"School things?" questioned Rhea. "For what?"  
  
"You don't honestly think I'm going to make you clean tables or scrub jars for me, now do you? You can use the time as a sort of..study hall"  
  
Rhea smiled. "That works for me."  
  
"Good. I don't believe in detentions. What good they do, I'll never know."  
  
"I hear you," agreed Rhea.  
  
Professor Sullivan looked at her closely. "You really are Antigone's daughter," he said smiling.  
  
Rhea wondered how he knew her mother. She decided to ask him about it that night. 


	9. Secrets From the Past

Author's Note: Okay guys, this is the chapter you've all been waiting for! Okay, so Rhea and Bill will not realize their true feelings for each other for a few more years, but this is the chapter in which you'll all find out more about Antigone and even Ian. Enjoy!  
  
Rhea walked out of the classroom in a daze. She found her friends waiting outside for her.  
  
"So? What happened?" demanded Tonks.  
  
Rhea looked at her, still not believing what had quite happened. "Oh, he just said that he would be overseeing my detentions for this week," she said casually.  
  
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Hestia, Tonks, and Aimee all at the same time.  
  
Rhea shrugged. "It's no big deal. He just said it was unfair for me to get a detention for speaking my mind and doing something he's wanted to do for years. So he's going to treat it like a study hall."  
  
"That's crazy! I wonder if he had Snape for a teacher here," said Hestia.  
  
Rhea frowned thoughtfully. "I don't know. He said something about me being my mother's daughter, but how did he know her?"  
  
"You should ask him about it tonight," said Aimee.  
  
"I was planning to."  
  
~*~*~  
  
That evening at five, Rhea packed up her things and went to Ian's office. She knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in," came his voice.  
  
Rhea stepped inside. She took a good look around his office. It looked as if a typical teenaged boy lived there, with its posters of Quidditch teams and famous bands. There was even a poster of Kiala McCormack! Rhea smiled as she thought of the huge poster of Kiala's Quidditch playing brother Kyle she had in her bedroom at home. Aimee had even brought one to Hogwarts with her and hung it where all the girls could swoon.  
  
"Ah, Rhea," said Ian. "Come have a seat."  
  
Rhea went over and sat down by Ian at his desk.  
  
"Would you like a drink?" asked Ian politely. "I've got Butterbeer and pumpkin juice."  
  
"Butterbeer, please," said Rhea. He conjured one up and handed it to her. "Thank you."  
Rhea bit her lip and began to work. After a while she broke the silence. "Pr-Ian?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Did you know my mum?"  
  
Ian sighed and put down his quill. "I knew her," he said getting a distant look in his eyes.  
  
Rhea waited for him to continue.  
  
"Rhea, there are a lot of things that may seem a little incredible, but I guess it's time you found out."  
  
"What kind of things?" asked Rhea, her heart racing.  
  
Ian seemed to sense her apprehension. "It's nothing bad, just hard to believe."  
  
Rhea relaxed.  
  
"Antigone was in her seventh year while I was in my first. I-er-well I had a bit of a crush on her for a while. She was so smart and patient. Every Wednesday night she and her friend Lily Evans would host a small study group for first and second years that needed help. It was her who got me hooked on teaching in the first place."  
  
Rhea looked at him. She felt weird not knowing anything about Antigone.  
  
"Of course she was very popular and the love interest of many boys. And Snape just had to be one of those boys. He was after both her and Lily. No wonder James and Sirius hated him."  
  
"Snape had a thing for my mum?" said Rhea amazed. "I knew he had a thing for Aunt Lily, but.."  
  
Ian nodded. "He had a thing for her, all right. Even though she and your dad had been going out since their fifth year, Severus wouldn't leave her alone. He hated your dad and Uncle James because they had everything he ever wanted: popularity, friends, the best looking girls.."  
  
"And he hates me because I remind him of those times."  
  
Ian put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting, brotherly fashion. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, Rhae. He hates everyone. All I know is that you are so much like your mum. And that's something to be proud of."  
  
"Thanks, Ian," said Rhea. "I know it seems strange, but I don't know anything about her. All she is to me is a pretty face. My dad never wants to talk about her and I understand that, but I need to know about my mother."  
  
"Hey, I understand," said Ian, pulling her to him in a half-hug. "I remember when I found out she had died. I couldn't believe it. And then when I saw you for the first time, I knew you would be just like her."  
  
Rhea looked up at him questioningly. "When did you first see me?"  
  
Ian smiled. "I met you the day after you were born."  
  
Rhea was shocked. "Wow."  
  
"Your mother and I became pretty close and when you were born she appointed me as a sort of..god brother to you, I suppose. But when she died, I guess we sort of lost contact. When you got your letter of acceptance and I was introduced as a new teacher for the year, your dad sent a letter to the school and we met up again."  
  
"That is so weird," said Rhea. "It's a little like..fate"  
  
"I know. Believe me, this all feels surreal to me as well. In the span of about two weeks I regained contact with one of my best friends and met the closest thing I ever had to a sister again after ten years. Life couldn't get much better."  
  
Rhea nodded. "I guess it couldn't." She was happy; what had started out as a simple detention had turned out to reveal many secrets from the past. 


	10. Explanations, Rings, and Sugar Quills

Rhea stayed and talked to Ian even after her "detention" was officially over. She liked having a brother; even though they were technically related. But that didn't matter.  
  
She found out some pretty interesting things about her mother. Antigone had been Gryffindor's star Chaser on the Quidditch team. But Rhea had been most surprised to know that Antigone had sort of been a mistake and her mother had left her at birth. Antigone had been adopted by a kind, loving family. However, her family had been killed by Voldemort when she was seventeen. After that she had moved in with Sirius. The one thing Antigone *had* known was that she was half Indian, half Greek. Rhea felt a rush of excitement when she thought of how exotic that was.  
  
At 10:30, Ian looked at his watch. "You should get going," he said. "It's late and people will start to get suspicious."  
  
"Awww, do I have to go?" whined Rhea.  
  
Ian laughed. "Yeah, but don't worry, you've still got another week's worth of "detention". We'll talk then."  
  
"Okay," said Rhea reluctantly. She gathered her stuff and headed for the door, Ian right behind her.  
  
"Night, Ian," she said hugging him.  
  
"Goodnight, Rhae," he said, returning her embrace. "See you tomorrow."  
  
"Just one thing," said Rhea. "Do I still have to call you Professor Sullivan in class?''  
  
"Hmmm. I didn't think of that. I don't know, call me whatever you want."  
  
"All right. Bye then." She waved and walked back to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Rhea didn't expect anyone to be in the common room. But she was wrong. Her friends were all sitting there and when she came in they all looked up expectantly.  
  
Anyone would have thought she was a teenager coming home way past her curfew.  
  
"Well?" demanded Tonks. "Where were you?"  
  
Rhea rolled her eyes. "I was in detention, Mother. Now can I please go up to bed? I've got a lot to think about."  
  
"You are not going up until we've heard the whole story. You've been in "detention" for three-and-a-half extra hours."  
  
Rhea knew she would have to tell them about Ian sometime or the other. So she sat down next to Bill and rubbed her temples.  
  
"Well, you'd better make yourselves comfortable, because you're in for a long story." And with that she started to tell them about Ian, Antigone, and everything else she had found out. When she finished, she saw five pairs of wide eyes staring at her.  
  
"Bloody hell," whispered Bill.  
  
"I'll say," said Hestia. "Who would have thought?"  
  
"I know!" said Rhea. "First I turn up for a detention and then I find out I have a sort-of brother and then I find out all this stuff about my mum, and then I realize that I'm just this lone British/Indian/Greek eleven-year-old who didn't know anything about her mother and never bothered to ask!" She made a noise of frustration and buried her face in her hands.  
  
Bill put his arm around her in a comforting fashion and Tonks got up from her armchair and tried to comfort her.  
  
"It's all right, Rhae, really," she said, patting her friend's back. "You had a good reason."  
  
"No I didn't!" came Rhea's muffled response. "I should have at least known about her family, or-or where she was from, where *I'm* from...."  
  
"You can't beat yourself up over this," said Aimee. "You know now, and that's the important thing."  
  
Rhea looked up. "I guess you're right. But try going into a room for detention and coming out with a new knowledge of, well, everything. Pretty unnerving."  
  
There was one thing about Rhea Bennett that she chose to remain hidden from the world: insecurity. She didn't act bitchy or catty to others to make up for it, but it was there. She had gown up differently and had had to endure other girls taking about their mothers. She had a father who would do anything for her, but that didn't make up for Antigone's absence. She was very sensitive and little things got to her easily.  
  
They sat in silence for a while. Tonks then got up and stretched. "We should probably go," she said yawning.  
  
Rhea nodded. She honestly didn't know what to think. Maybe a good night's sleep would help her process the new information.  
  
"Good night," she said. She walked up to her dorm and immediately crashed.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Rhea awoke to the sound of someone calling her name. She opened her eyes and saw Hestia.  
  
"Mmmm, let me sleep," said Rhea, her worlds muffled against her pillow.  
  
"Sweetie, we have class," came Tonks' voice from the other end of the room.  
  
"Oh, God," said Rhea as she frantically got out of bed and started to get ready. Her roommates laughed. Rhea in a rush? Usually she was so calm, cool, and collected. Seeing her running around so as not to be late while they were ready was a pretty unusual sight.  
  
The girls finally managed to make it down to the Great Hall for breakfast. When the post arrived, Rhea saw her dad's owl, Iris. Iris dropped a letter into Rhea plate. It read:  
  
My Dearest Rhae,  
  
Hopefully you haven't forgotten you dear old dad! I miss you; the house I so quiet without you. Anyways, you've got Christmas break, well, during Christmas. You are coming home, right? Because I can't imagine spending Christmas without you. Send your reply with Iris and enjoy the present.  
  
Love You, Dad  
  
Rhea smiled. Then she looked over the top of her letter and saw a big brown package in front of her. She picked it up and opened it. Inside was a scarlet T-shirt with the Gryffindor sign on the front. It was adorable. Also inside the package was a box of assorted sugar quills-her favorite. Bill saw the package and smiled.  
  
"Sugar quills," he said. "My favorite!"  
  
"Mine, too!" said Rhea. "Raspberry all the way."  
  
"Oh, no. You know you mean strawberry."  
  
"Nah, I don't actually." Rhea picked a strawberry quill out of the box and handed it to him.  
  
"Thanks!" he said. "Strawberry's the best."  
  
"You mean raspberry."  
  
"Nah, I don't actually," he said, using the words she had used previously.  
  
They started laughing.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The first lesson that day was History of Magic. It was, without doubt, the most boring class of all time. Rhea chose a seat ext to Bill at the back. The kept busy by playing tic-tac-toe. But after awhile, even that got old. Now they were just sitting there trying to keep awake.  
  
"Wow, that's cool," said Bill suddenly.  
  
"What is?" asked Rhea looking over at him.  
  
"This ring," he replied. He was holding a small silver band with swirly black marking carved around it. [A/N: The ring looks sort of like the one my crush gave me. He found it in our literature class and when I asked him if I could have it, he said yes! Sorry, I'll shut up now.] It was quite pretty.  
  
"That is cool," said Rhea. "Where did you find it?"  
  
"It was on the windowsill."  
  
"Cool." Rhea paused a second before adding, "Can I have it?"  
  
"Sure," said Bill.  
  
Rhea raised her eyebrows. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Thanks!" said Rhea. She took the ring. As she slid it onto her left thumb, she couldn't help the feeling that she'd treasure this ring forever.  
  
~*~*~ A/N: Yeah, so I was totally brain dead while writing this chapter so I decided to add the whole ring thing in. It is based on a true story; just replace Bill with Daniel and Rhea with me, and there you go. Oh Daniel, how I do love thee.... 


	11. Home for the Holidays

The school days seemed to fly by afterwards. Before Rhea knew it, it was time to go home for the Christmas holidays.  
  
"So you will write to me over the holidays, won't you?" Rhea asked Bill when they reached Platform 9 ¾. They were both going home for Christmas and were waiting for their parents to come get them.  
  
"Of course I will, Rhae!"  
  
"Good. And I have your present for you." She reached into her handbag and pulled out a small envelope with a red ribbon tied around it.  
  
"Thanks," said Bill, putting it into his pocket. "I have yours—"  
  
He was cut of by Rhea saying, "Aren't you going to open it?"  
  
"Now?"  
  
"Yeah. I want to be there while you do."  
  
Bill smiled at her. "Alright then." He opened the envelope and pulled out a ten galleon gift voucher from Honeydukes.  
  
"Now you can get all the strawberry sugar quills you want," said Rhea.  
  
"Thank you. This is the best gift ever. And know for yours."  
  
"You got me a present?"  
  
"Of course I did, Rhae! You're my best friend."  
  
Rhea felt her heart speed up for some reason at hearing him refer to her as his best friend. Bill then reached into his trunk and pulled out a small wrapped package.  
  
"Open it," he urged.  
  
Rhea did. It was a jewelry box, not very big, but beautiful all the same. Rhea looked at it in amazement. "Bill...."  
  
"Do you like it?" he asked, somewhat nervously.  
  
Rhea threw her arms around his neck. Bill seemed shocked, but soon he relaxed and returned her embrace.  
  
"I love it," said Rhea, her words muffled against his neck.  
  
They stayed that way for a moment until Rhea head a familiar voice behind her.  
  
"Hey there, mate. Now unhand my girl before I do something I might regret!"  
  
Rhea let go of Bill and looked behind her. "Dad!" she screamed, tearing herself away from Bill and running to her father.  
  
"Hello Rhae," said Sirius affectionately. Rhea noticed that he was holding something that seemed to be a small black ball of fur. "Happy early Christmas. He handed her the ball of fur. Rhea gasped when she felt it move. It was a kitten!  
  
"I figured you'd like to have a new friend to take back with you to school," said Sirius. He then looked up at Bill. "And who is this young man who seems to have won my daughter's affection?"  
  
"Bill Weasley, sir," said Bill, shaking Sirius' hand.  
  
"Weasley, did you say? Well, if I'm not mistaken, I happened to know your parents."  
  
"Really?" said Rhea.  
  
"Yes. I met them a couple of times. Lovely people they are."  
  
"Thank you," said Bill. He looked behind Sirius. "And here they are now."  
  
The Weasley's, all with flaming red hair, had arrived to pick Bill up. The came up to him and saw Rhea and Sirius.  
  
Sirius and Bill's parents Molly and Arthur started talking and Bill introduced Rhea to his brothers. Rhea thought Fred and George were adorable—they were now holding her hand and looking up at her.  
  
"I think they like you," said Bill winking at her.  
  
"It's too bad they're nine years younger than me," she said. "Otherwise I just might take them!"  
  
Ron also looked as if he had a thing for Rhea. From his mother's arms he kept smiling at her.  
  
"Oh Bill, your family is wonderful!" said Rhea.  
  
"Yeah, they're fun," he replied.  
  
They stood in silence for a while until Sirius came up behind Rhea.  
  
"We should be going love," he said.  
  
"Okay," agreed Rhea reluctantly. She was having fun talking to Bill and his family.  
  
"Bye, Rhae," said Bill. He hesitantly came up to her and put her hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.  
  
"Bye, Bill. See you back at school."  
  
Rhea and Sirius turned to go.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"He's a nice kid," said Sirius when they got home.  
  
"Who, Bill?" said Rhea. "Yeah, he's great."  
  
"He seems to like you a lot."  
  
Rhea raised an eyebrow. "Dad, we're eleven. And besides, we're best friends."  
  
"I know," said Sirius shrugging. "But you won't be eleven forever. Best friends usually end up falling for each other."  
  
"Da-ad!" whined Rhea.  
  
"What?"  
  
Rhea sighed, exasperated. "Never mind."  
  
"Come on, Rhae, you know you're going to fall in love eventually. And I'll be right here when you do."  
  
"But he's...Bill."  
  
"And he cares a lot about you. For heaven's sake, he gave you a jewelry box."  
  
"As I said before, we're only eleven."  
  
"I know that. But come talk to me when you're a few years older. That's when I'm going to have to keep you under strict house arrest."  
  
"Oh my God, Dad," said Rhea.  
  
Sirius chuckled. "I'm only teasing you, love, you know that."  
  
Rhea did know that. But why was she so touchy on the subject of Bill? 


	12. First Time for Everything

Rhea woke up upon feeling silky softness against her cheek. She opened her eyes and saw her new kitten looking at her with green eyes to rival her own. Rhea got up and yawned before picking the cat up and hugging it against her. Come to think of it, she hadn't even given it a name yet!  
  
"I'll call you...Midnight," she whispered into the cat's fur.  
  
Sirius appeared in the doorway. "Good morning!"  
  
"Morning, Dad."  
  
He came over and sat at the edge of her bed. "I see you like your new friend," he commented, stroking Midnight behind the ears.  
  
"She's lovely," said Rhea, stifling a yawn. "I've decided to call her Midnight."  
  
"Midnight," repeated Sirius. Your mum had a dog called Midnight."  
  
Rhea raised her eyebrows. "Wow. That's...weird."  
  
"Isn't it? Sure I never told you that?"  
  
"Dad, the only thing you ever told me about Mum was her name. Everything else I found out from Ian."  
  
"You spoke to Ian?" said Sirius.  
  
Rhea nodded. "He told me everything you should have told me years ago," she said, not bothering to keep the hurt out of her voice.  
  
Sirius took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Rhea, I know what I did was wrong, and believe me, I regret not telling you about Antigone...."  
  
"You said her name," said Rhea.  
  
Sirius looked at her.  
  
"Her name! This is the first time you've referred to her as 'Antigone' and not 'Your Mum.'"  
  
Sirius gave a wry smile. First time for everything."  
  
They sat in silence for a moment.  
  
"I'd better get ready," said Rhea. She scooped up Midnight and made her way to the bathroom.  
  
Sirius watched her go. He had to remind himself that his little Rhae was growing up and becoming a young woman. He knew how hard it was for girls at this age. It would be even harder for Rhea not having a mother. He had seen her reluctance to talk about Bill and he understood that. He just wished there was some way he could fix it.  
  
"Daddy?" came a small voice.  
  
Rhea was leaning in the doorway to her bathroom watching him.  
  
"Yeah, Love?"  
  
Rhea bit her lip. "It's started." 


	13. Father and Daughter

Sirius was speechless. He did, of course, know what his daughter was talking about, but he had no clue how to go about in helping her through it.  
  
"Er, well I think there's a simple padding spell you can use," he said. Rhea was on the other side of the bathroom door, trying to think of something.  
  
"Yeah, there is, only I don't remember it!" Rhea called, sounding frantic.  
  
"Shit," said Sirius under his breath. "Rhea? Sweetie? Can you just hold on a minute while I try to find the spell?"  
  
"Yes, just hurry!"  
  
With that, he ran downstairs and started pulling out random books.  
  
"Simple Household Spells.... No. Modern Wizard.... No, definitely not.... Ah, here it is!" He pulled a book off the shelf. It was called Everything You Need to Know About Raising a Witch. He flipped through it and when he found the spell he needed, he dashed upstairs to Rhea.  
  
"Rhae? I found the spell."  
  
The door opened a crack and Rhea's hand appeared. She took the book and closed the door again. "Thanks, Dad," came her muffled response.  
  
"Er, Rhea? You might what to try that, well, after you shower."  
  
"Oh. Good idea. Thanks."  
  
Sirius walked back into Rhea's room. Today was the day on which his daughter had come of age. He felt a rush of pride in the fact that she had come to him for advice. But then again, who else would she have gone to? he thought.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Rhea came down for breakfast about an hour later. She was wearing her Gryffindor T-shirt, loose black velour sweatpants, and a pained expression on her face.  
  
"How'd it go?" asked Sirius.  
  
"Well, other than the fact that I'm in severe pain, I feel fat, and my skin is extra oily, I'm doing great," she said, flopping down into the nearest chair and banging her head down on the table. Midnight walked into the room and jumped up onto Rhea's lap. Rhea gratefully picked her up and buried her face in the velvety fur.  
  
Sirius came up behind her and rubbed her back. "I'll tell you what, how about you eat some breakfast, take some painkilling potion and then we go out for the day, just the two of us. How does that sound?"  
  
Rhea looked up into her dad's eyes. "I think it sounds great."  
  
~*~*~  
  
They had decided on going to Diagon Alley for the day. They spent the day just looking around and then they had lunch and walked around some more. As they were heading towards the nearest fireplace so they could get back home, Rhea heard someone call her name. She turned around and saw Anthony Miles and....  
  
"Ian!" yelled Rhea. She ran up to him and embraced him. He held her and then reached down and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"Hey Rhea! It's so nice to see you!"  
  
Before Rhea had time to respond, she heard her dad say, "Well, well, well, if it isn't the one and only Ian Sullivan."  
  
Ian looked up and saw Sirius. Slowly, he let go of Rhea and walked over to him, beaming.  
  
"How you doing, Sirius?"  
  
Sirius laughed. "After all this time we're finally seeing each other again and you're asking me how I am? Come here."  
  
Rhea watched as the two men hugged after years apart. Anthony looked at her and smiled.  
  
"So...," began Ian.  
  
"How's your mum?" asked Sirius. "And Gareth?"  
  
"They're doing fine," replied Ian. Gareth's here...somewhere."  
  
Sirius then turned to Anthony. "I don't believe we've met," he said, shaking Anthony's hand.  
  
"That's my brother Anthony," said Ian.  
  
"Really?" asked Sirius surprised. Then he turned back to Anthony. "The last time I saw you, you were just born!"  
  
Rhea looked at Anthony. "Guess we've known each other for awhile then."  
  
The four talked for awhile longer until Ian announced that they had to get going.  
  
"This may be your holiday, but I've still got lesson plans to finish," he joked.  
  
"Well I look forward to them," said Rhea. She hugged both Ian and Anthony.  
  
"Ian, let's not wait such a long time before seeing each other again," said Sirius.  
  
"Definitely not. It felt so weird meeting Rhae again after, what, ten years?"  
  
"I know. And I didn't even recognize Anthony!"  
  
They all laughed before saying goodbye for the night.  
  
~*~*~  
  
When Rhea and Sirius got home that night, Rhea felt exhausted. She didn't know whether not it was her day in Diagon Alley or her period, but she was tired all the same. She kicked off her shoes and sunk into the couch. Sirius came and sat down next to her.  
  
"So did you enjoy your day?" he inquired.  
  
Rhea nodded. "Thanks, Dad."  
  
"Your welcome."  
  
"I also meant it for this morning. Thanks for the...help. Most girls' dads aren't usually...involved with that sort of thing."  
  
Sirius sighed and pulled Rhea closer to him. "Rhea," he said. "I know it's going to be difficult growing up without a mother, but I want you to know that no matter what, I'll always be here for you."  
  
Rhea looked up at him. "I know. And I love you for it."  
  
"I love you, too."  
  
Rhea rubbed her eyes. "I think I'll go to bed."  
  
"That's a good idea. I'm knackered."  
  
"Well, goodnight then," she said kissing his cheek.  
  
"Goodnight, Love. Sweet Dreams."  
  
Rhea went upstairs and got ready. She then fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. 


	14. Christmas

"Happy Christmas, Rhae!"  
  
Rhea sat up in bed and saw her dad, his arms laden with presents. He dumped them on her bed and hugged her tightly.  
  
"Happy Christmas, Dad," she answered. "That's a lot of presents."  
  
"Yes, and they're all for you."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"No! Some of them are mine, too. Go on and open them, then."  
  
Laughing, Rhea reached for the nearest package. It was from Tonks. She opened it and found books. Even at eleven, Rhea had a thing for teen- witch romance stories.  
  
"Excellent! Haven't read these yet!" she exclaimed.  
  
She moved on to the next present. It was from her dad. Inside was the cute outfit she had admired at Modern Sorceress over the summer. It consisted of a long sleeved hot pink fishnet top with a black spaghetti strap top to go over it. Dark blue jeans with a spiky black belt completed it. Rhea stared at it, amazed.  
  
"I know you wanted it, so I went back and got it," said Sirius.  
  
Rhea tore her eyes away from the outfit and looked at her dad. Modern Sorceress wasn't exactly the cheapest clothes store ever. "Th- thanks, Dad," was all she could manage. "I love it." She leaned over to hug him.  
  
"It's no problem," said Sirius, hugging her back. "And I even got them to put a spell on it so it would always fit you."  
  
"Thank you so much, Daddy. It really means a lot to me."  
  
"Hey, I'm your dad; I'm allowed to spoil you. Now how about you open the rest of these?"  
  
Rhea happily unwrapped a pair of cute black clogs from her Aunt Cassidy—Sirius's twin sister; a pair of spiky black and red earrings from Hestia; a bottle of clear, enchanted nail polish that painted on however you wanted it to from Aimee; and a lot more. By the end, her bed was a sea of wrapping paper.  
  
"So you like your presents?" asked Sirius, gathering the mess and tapping it with his wand to make it disappear.  
  
"Yeah," she replied. She paused and fiddled with the ring Bill had given her. She always wore it. "Is Auntie Cassidy coming over tonight?  
  
Sirius nodded. "So are Auntie Andy and Tonks."  
  
Rhea sat up. "Tonks is coming?" she exclaimed. "Yay!"  
  
"I figured that would be a good Christmas present."  
  
"Oh, but it is."  
  
Just then they heard a loud hoot from downstairs.  
  
"That'll be Iris with the post," said Sirius. He went downstairs to get it.  
  
Rhea lay in bed for a moment before getting up. The pain in her stomach had decreased, but it was still there. Getting up, she was shocked to see a small stain.  
  
"Oh, no!" she exclaimed. She ripped the sheets from her bed and ran into the bathroom.  
  
When Sirius came up a few minutes later, he was surprised to see the bed as a tangled mess of blankets. Then it suddenly dawned on him.  
  
"Rhea?" he said through the restroom door. "Is everything alright?"  
  
"Fine, Dad," she answered. "Could you just do a quick cleaning spell on my sheet, please?"  
  
"Sure." Rhea opened the door handed him the sheet. He took it, muttered "Scourgify" and replaced it on the bed.  
  
"Thanks, Dad!" called Rhea.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Rhea hurriedly got dressed and went downstairs. Her father was sitting at the kitchen table sipping coffee.  
  
"There's a letter for you," he said.  
  
Rhea looked down at the letter.  
  
"It's from Bill!" she exclaimed. She eagerly tore at the envelope and began to read the letter.  
  
Dear Rhea,  
  
Happy Christmas! I hope you're having a wonderful holiday. I can't wait to see you back at school, though. It's like I've forgotten how it is to come back to such a noisy house! We're having this huge party tonight with all the family. I can't wait. Well, actually I can, but I can just slip upstairs to my room and nobody would notice. So if you get an owl from me later on tonight, you'll know why. Well anyways I'll let you get back to whatever you're doing and I will see you when school starts.  
  
Love, Bill  
  
"Oh, that's so sweet," said Rhea aloud when she had finished the letter. She looked up and blushed upon seeing that her father was still there.  
  
"Oh no, it's quite alright," said Sirius with a knowing look. "I see how it is." He winked and Rhea blushed harder.  
  
"Honestly, Dad, I already told you. Bill and I are just friends."  
  
Sirius laughed. "Yeah, Rhae. Whatever you say, Love. Just tell me that in a few more years. Oh, and make sure to say it to me on your guys' wedding day as well."  
  
"Da-ad!" whined Rhea. "That's so uncool."  
  
"Rhea, Love, if anyone would have told me when I was eleven that I would fall in love with Antigone Bennett, I would have thought they were mad. If they have told me that I'd have you, I'd have thought that they were abusing some illegal substance. The thing is, we can't choose who we fall for."  
  
Rhea opened her mouth to speak but Sirius cut her off.  
  
"I know you may think the idea of you and Bill getting together is absurd now, but in a couple of years, you'll be coming to me for tips on how to get him to notice you." He paused. "Well, I doubt you'd come to me, but you'll go to someone. That is of course, if he doesn't make the first move."  
  
Rhea bit her lip. Okay, so maybe she did have a crush on Bill. A teeny-tiny one, but a crush nonetheless. But she was way too young to be thinking about having a boyfriend. Still, a small part of her hoped that he, too, felt something.  
  
"Do you think he feels the same?" said Rhea without thinking.  
  
Sirius smiled and said simply, "Yes."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Rhae, I was a boy once, I know how they think. And besides, what bloke would give a girl he doesn't fancy a jewelry box for Christmas?"  
  
Rhea had forgotten about that. She'd forgotten about the jewelry box, the ring, and the arguments over sugar quills that could have been seen as flirting.... The thoughts brought a smile to her face.  
  
"You have a point. Thanks, Dad!"  
  
"Just doing the whole dad thing."  
  
~*~*~  
  
That night, Rhea went upstairs to get ready before her family arrived. Looking through her closet she looked for something she could wear. Her wardrobe consisted mainly of low-rise jeans, tank tops, sweatpants, and a lot of black. She realized that the only skirts she owned were the ones she had to wear for school. Rhea frowned at the thought of skirts. She had never really liked wearing them. She was more of a jeans-and-t-shirt type of girl. After some pondering she finally picked out a black satin pair of pants and a black t-shirt with the words Fire Fairy emblazoned across it in red glitter. She then put her hair into a ponytail, put on her favorite silver hoop earrings in her first pierce, and put on her new earrings from Tonks in the second hole. She was good to go.  
  
When Rhea got downstairs, she was surprised to see her Aunt Cassidy already there. Cassidy was gorgeous. Her black hair fell over her shoulders like a satin curtain and her smile was like a bed of pearls. Basically she looked her brother, only in woman-form.  
  
"Auntie Cass!" exclaimed Rhea, running over and embracing her aunt.  
  
"Hello, Rhae!" said Cass. She hugged Rhea for a moment and then pulled back and looked at her. "My, you have gotten taller! And you're so lovely!"  
  
"Thanks," said Rhea.  
  
Cassidy reached into her handbag and pulled out a small jewelry box. "Happy Christmas!"  
  
Rhea looked puzzled. "But I got your present this morning," she said. "See, I'm wearing them right now!"  
  
Cass looked down. Rhea was indeed wearing the new shoes. "Well, what kind of an aunt would I be if all I got for my niece was a pair of shoes?"  
  
Rhea laughed. "Thanks, Auntie Cass."  
  
"Don't thank me until you've opened it!"  
  
Rhea did as she was told. Inside was a small heart shaped locket on a fine silver chain. Rhea opened the locket and gasped. Inside were a picture of her mother on one side, and a picture of her and her dad on the other."  
  
"It was Antigone's," explained Cassidy. "She gave it to me before she died and she told me to give it to you when I felt the time was right. And I think the time is right now."  
  
Rhea couldn't help getting a little teary eyed at this. iThis was Mum'si, she thought. iI actually have something of hers!i Without speaking, she threw her arms around Cassidy's neck and was content just to be held there.  
  
Sirius, who had been laying out the food in the kitchen, stood in the doorway and surveyed the scene in front of him. He smiled a little. Cassidy played the role of a mother when she wasn't climbing snowy mountains or tanning on exotic beaches in the Pacific. When she did take a break and come to visit, she and Rhea would be inseparable.  
  
A knock on the door shook all three of them out of their stupors. Sirius went to answer it while Cassidy fastened the locket around Rhea's neck. A loud "Happy Christmas, Uncle Sirius!" let them know that it was Tonks and her mother.  
  
Tonks paraded into the house, her hair spiked with red and green streaks. She had pointed her ears to make her resemble an elf.  
  
"Aunt Cassidy!" said Tonks, surprised. "I didn't know you were going to be here!"  
  
"Well, neither did I until a couple of days ago," said Cassidy, pulling Tonks towards her.  
  
Andromeda and Sirius then came into the room and sat down. Rhea greeted Andromeda and then disappeared upstairs to her room with Tonks.  
  
"So did you open your presents yet?" asked Tonks, sitting down on Rhea's bed.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks for the books by the way."  
  
"It was no problem. And thank you for the bracelet." She rolled up her sleeve to reveal a silver wraparound snake.  
  
Midnight chose that moment to walk in and jump onto the bed.  
  
"Awww! I didn't know you had a kitty!" said Tonks. She picked up Midnight and stroked her soft fur.  
  
"Dad gave her to me. Her name's Midnight."  
  
"She's precious."  
  
"Tonks! Rhae! Come downstairs, please!" came Sirius' voice from downstairs.  
  
The two girls sprinted down the stairs and found James and Lily Potter with little Harry.  
  
"Hi!" cried Rhea. She ran to give her godparents and –brother all hugs.  
  
"It's so lovely to see you girls!" said Lily. She hugged both Rhea and Tonks in turn.  
  
"Well, since everyone's here, shall we eat?" said Sirius.  
  
"I guess so," said James. "Too bad it's a full moon. I would have loved to spend Christmas with Remus."  
  
Rhea nodded. She hadn't seen her 'Uncle' Remus for a while now.  
  
They all headed in to the kitchen where Sirius had prepared a wonderful Christmas meal.  
  
"Sirius, I didn't know you could cook!" joked Lily.  
  
Sirius came up to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "It's called magic, Love," he said.  
  
James chose that moment to spot the two. "Hey! Go get your own, Black! This one's mine!" he said in mock outrage, pulling his wife towards him.  
  
"Now, now boys, there's plenty of Lily Potter to go around!" said Lily.  
  
In the corner Tonks and Rhea were talking.  
  
"Bill Weasley's kind of cute," stated Tonks.  
  
Rhea felt her face heat up. "Yeah, he's...cute."  
  
Tonks looked at her closely. "You like him." It was a statement, not a question.  
  
Rhea decided to play clueless. "Of course I do, he's my friend."  
  
"Sure. Your friend. Well, just for the record, he likes you, too."  
  
"Really?!"  
  
Tonks smiled knowingly.  
  
Rhea felt her jaw drop. "You tricked me!"  
  
Tonks shrugged. "I got a confession out of you, though." Noticing Rhea's face fall, she quickly added, "but don't worry. I completely think he really does like you."  
  
"Doubt it. I'm just...me."  
  
"Oh, my God, Rhae. If there's something you need it's a good dose of self esteem. You need to stop putting yourself down all the time."  
  
"I guess so," said Rhea, even though she wasn't really listening. She was surveying the scene around her. Everyone was laughing, talking, and joking. Smiling to herself, Rhea thought, iThis is my family. And I wouldn't change it for the world.i  
  
A/N: Wow, that was longer than I expected it to be. Oh, and also, Cassidy Black belongs to luvsirius, from her amazing fic, Where is the Love. 


	15. Gareth's Approval

The Christmas holidays went by very quickly afterwards. Soon Rhea and Tonks, who had stayed with Rhea for the rest of the holidays, were boarding the train back to Hogwarts.  
  
"I had a lot of fun, Dad," said Rhea giving her dad a hug.  
  
"I did, too, Sweetheart. I miss seeing you now that you're at school."  
  
"Yeah, don't forget to owl me and fill me in," chimed in Cassidy, who had come to see her nieces off. "Every time I see you it's as if I'm meeting you all over again!"  
  
"Don't worry, Auntie Cass. I'll keep you posted."  
  
They said their last goodbyes and then boarded the train.  
  
"I'm going to go find Bill," said Rhea to Tonks. "Coming?"  
  
"Not if he finds you first," came a familiar voice from behind her.  
  
"Bill!" said Rhea, turning around to face him. "Have a good break?"  
  
Bill shrugged. It was alright, I guess. Noisy, though. How was yours?"  
  
"Great. Tonks stayed over and my aunt was visiting from...wherever she's currently living. Egypt, I think."  
  
This made Bill laugh. "I've always wanted to go there. That's why I've been thinking about getting a job there once I finish school."  
  
Rhea raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"  
  
"Yeah. I want to become a...."  
  
"Curse breaker?" asked Rhea.  
  
Bill looked surprised. "How did you know?"  
  
"I didn't," she replied. "That's just what I want to be. And most of them are stationed in Egypt anyways so I figured that that's what you want to be."  
  
"It is," said Bill. "That would be so cool if we worked there together."  
  
Rhea looked at him hopefully, trying to find some deeper meaning in what he had just said. He only looked at her and smiled questioningly.  
  
"All right, Rhae?" he asked.  
  
Rhea snapped out of her reverie. "Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. "Just zoned for a second."  
  
Bill nodded. "So you want to play Exploding Snap?"  
  
"Sure," replied Rhea. They spent the whole train ride playing, not noticing four heads peeking in at them from the window on the compartment door.  
  
~*~*~  
  
By the time they got off at Hogsmeade Station, darkness had fallen. As the students trudged up to the castle and into Gryffindor tower, Aimee announced that she was going up to bed.  
  
"Me too," said Hestia. Tonks nodded in agreement.  
  
Anthony went up soon after, leaving Bill and Rhea alone in the Common Room.  
  
"Well, goodnight, then," said Bill.  
  
"Goodnight. See you tomorrow." Rhea hesitated and then gave him a quick hug.  
  
Bill looked surprised for a moment but then relaxed with having the girl of his dreams in his arms. He closed his eyes and savored the moment before she reluctantly pulled away. She smiled and ran up the stairs to her dormitory. Bill sat there, a look of wonder and confusion on his face.  
  
"You've got it bad," came a voice from behind him. He turned around and saw an older boy sitting on the couch. A girl, presumably his girlfriend, was sleeping peacefully with her head resting on his shoulder.  
  
"What?" said Bill, now sure what he had just heard.  
  
The boy just smiled and gestured to the girl beside him. "We were first years once. And we acted just like you two do. Tiny, insignificant crush, that's all we thought it was." He paused, and lovingly brushed a stray lock of brown hair away from his companion's face. He then looked back up at Bill. "Annie and I didn't get together until fourth year, but she was always the one." He paused again, and seemed to be remembering those times. "I've known Rhae for a long time. She's wonderful and she deserves someone special. Just don't let her get away. You'll regret it."  
  
"Just...how do you know her?" asked Bill slowly.  
  
The boy smiled. "My older brother Ian, you know Professor Sullivan? He was a good friend of Antigone, Rhae's mother. So in a way, Rhae's like my sister, even though I just recently met her again."  
  
Bill seemed to be taking all this information in. He had known about Ian being Rhea's 'god brother' but he had never actually met this boy. He only knew him as one of the Gryffindor prefects. He looked at Bill, apparently sizing him up.  
  
"You'll be good for Rhea," he said. Noticing the look of confusion that crossed Bill's face he smiled and said, "I know, I know, you guys are only first years. But I'm just saying, don't let her go."  
  
"I won't," mumbled Bill, his face growing hot. Damn those Weasley genes. "Oh, and what's your name again?"  
  
"Gareth."  
  
"Gareth," repeated Bill. "I'm...."  
  
"I know who you are, Bill," said Gareth. Rhea and I do talk, you know."  
  
Bill's face lit up. Rhea talked about him? He smiled slightly and nodded. "Nice meeting you Gareth. I'm going to go to bed now, I'm knackered."  
  
"'Night, Bill," replied Gareth. He chuckled and said, "Don't be too surprised if you come down in the morning and I'm still here. I don't want to wake Annie up."  
  
Bill laughed. "Okay. See you tomorrow." He traipsed up the stairs thinking about the odd conversation he had just had with Rhea's 'brother'. He had an odd sense as if he had just been welcomed into the family somehow. 


	16. Harsh Truths and Nightmares

A/N: hello! Okay, so I've been asked how Rhea's name is pronounced. Rhea=RAY-uh Rhae=RAY Now on with Ch. 16!!!  
  
The months flew by very quickly for everyone, especially Rhea. Even though she still had to endure Snape's taunts, she made up for it by regularly going to see Ian. It was one fateful day a week before term ended when she got the news: Ian was leaving.  
  
~*~earlier that day~*~  
  
At six o'clock, Rhea left dinner early so that she would have some time to chat with Ian. When she got to his office, she was surprised to see him there looking serious yet sad at the same time. She also noticed that all his things were packed and he had taken down most of the posters on his wall. Except for the one of Kiana McCormack, thought Rhea with a small smirk.  
  
"Hi, Rhea," he said. He sounded tired.  
  
"What's going on, Ian?" she demanded.  
  
Ian smiled, but looked very grim. "Rhea...I know this will be hard, but next year...I'm not coming back."  
  
Rhea felt as if someone had stabbed her in the heart. "But you can't leave, Ian! Not now!"  
  
Ian got up from his chair and came over to Rhea. Wrapping her tightly in his arms, he merely said, "I have to."  
  
"Why?" came Rhea's muffled response.  
  
Ian pulled back and looked into Rhea's eyes. "Rhea, I had only planned on taking this job for a year, anyway. But when I came and liked it, I decided that I just might stay."  
  
Rhea opened her mouth to speak, but Ian cut her off.  
  
"My house was attacked by Death Eaters last night," he whispered. "My mother was in it."  
  
Rhea looked up, suddenly fearful. "Oh my God, Ian...."  
  
"She's alive, but barely. That's why I need to go."  
  
"But...but what about Gareth? And Anthony?"  
  
"Dumbledore has given them both a week off."  
  
Rhea suddenly remembered something. She had just been at dinner with Anthony and he was laughing and joking with his friends. He definitely wasn't acting as if his mother was dying. "Hang on, does Anthony even know about this? Because I was just with him at dinner and...."  
  
Ian sighed and sat down. "No, he doesn't know yet."  
  
"Why not?" she demanded.  
  
"Dumbledore was supposed to tell him, I don't know...."  
  
At that precise moment, both Ian and Gareth came barging through the door. "Ian! Mum, is she alright?!" Gareth asked frantically.  
  
Rhea looked at Ian. These boys may be like her brothers, but this was something they needed to discuss on their own. She quietly slipped out the door and in her pondering state she ran into someone in the hallways.  
  
"Whoa, Rhea, are you all right?" said the person. It was Bill.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," responded Rhea.  
  
Bill could tell she was lying. "Are you going to tell me what really happened? Because Anthony just came sprinting down here after talking to Dumbledore, so I figured that something's gone wrong."  
  
Rhea looked into Bill's eyes. There was genuine concern in them. He is so sweet, thought Rhea.  
  
"Ian's leaving," she said softly. "Death Eaters attacked his house and his mother barely made it."  
  
"Oh, that's terrible," said Bill. He was silent for a moment and then let out a bitter laugh. "They just don't care do they? They'll attack anyone who gets in their way." He turned around to face Rhea. "It's started, Rhae, I can't believe the war has actually started."  
  
Rhea nodded. She had so many loved ones who were in hiding and being protected from Lord Voldemort. Her godparents Lily and James were especially in danger and they needed to be very carefully about where they went and who they trusted.  
  
"It really has, hasn't it?" said Rhea fearfully.  
  
Bill nodded. "I, well, I've picked up on a lot of stuff I shouldn't have," he said quickly.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, apparently there's this organization of witches and wizards who have banded together in order to fight You-Know-Who. It's very secret, and Mum would kill me if she knew I'd found out."  
  
Rhea furrowed her brow and considered this. "I think my dad's in it."  
  
"Really? How do you know?"  
  
"Well, it's kind of hard not to know everything he's doing, especially when it's just him and me in the first place. How many 'mystery meetings' can a guy have, anyways?"  
  
"Where do you go when they have the meetings?"  
  
"Well, usually Tonks and I just go with our parents when they have the meetings. They lock themselves in a separate room with silencing charms, though. So we can never tell what's going on. But one thing I do know is that, my godparents are in danger."  
  
"Well, everyone's in danger."  
  
"No, I mean that they're under special charms and spells so Voldemort can't find them."  
  
"You just said his name," said Bill in awe.  
  
Rhea shrugged. "My dad always told me that there's no point in not saying it. It's not like his name's going to kill us or anything. The name's not him."  
  
"Well, I guess you have a point, but I still don't like saying his name. No offense to you though."  
  
"None taken."  
  
They then walked back the common room in silence.  
  
~*~back to the present~*~  
  
Rhea awoke with a sense of foreboding. She put her hand against her heart and felt that her heart rate had sped up. The sheets around her were drenched in sweat. She waited for her breathing to steady before she could recall the awful dream that had awoken her.  
  
At first she had been at home in her room. She then went downstairs and saw her dad standing there. When Rhea ran to hug him, he suddenly disappeared and she found herself in a dark, dank room that looked suspiciously like a prison cell. Huddled in a corner or the cell was a man. He was thin and skeleton like. When she walked closer to him, she gasped and realized that it was her dad. That's when she woke up.  
  
What could it mean?  
  
~*~*~  
  
Phew! Okay, next chapter will probably be the last. And then the sequel! Well of course, there's going to be a sequel, six of them in fact. One for each year at Hogwarts. And now for individual comments:  
  
Luvsirius: Awww, thanks Rhe! I'm glad ya like him; he was just a last minute idea. And I though it was cute how he kinda 'welcomed Bill into the family.'  
  
LemonKitty: thank you! Sadly, this one's almost finished but I had loads of fun working on it and there's a lot more on the way! Thanks for reviewing! 


	17. The End of the Beginning

Okay, this is the last chapter *sniff* but I'm going to get started on the sequel right away.  
  
On the last day of term, Rhea got an owl from Ian saying that his mother had died. She had been hit with the Cruciatus curse too many times to survive.  
  
Funny, though Rhea bitterly. Mum died that way. They must really enjoy drawing out the pain.  
  
She allowed herself to be comforted by Bill and when it was time to board the train they found an empty compartment at the end of the train.  
  
"So...what exactly was it that...caused her to...die?" asked Bill softly.  
  
Rhea picked up Midnight and looked up at Bill. "Cruciatus," was all she said, but Bill understood.  
  
"My mum died that way," said Rhea, more to herself than Bill. "And last night I had the strangest dream."  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"Well, I was at home with Dad. But then everything went black and it was like I was being transported to another time and place. When I could see again, I was in a prison cell and...Dad was there. He looked as if he'd been there for years." She paused. "And it didn't even feel like a dream. It was more like a...vision."  
  
"Have you ever had a vision before?"  
  
"Yeah, a couple of times. But usually they're really small and insignificant." She smiled. "Dad sometimes calls me his little banshee."  
  
"But don't they signal death?" inquired Bill.  
  
"Yeah. But Dad once said to me that the night before Mum died, I just kept crying and crying and nothing would calm me down."  
  
Bill, not knowing what to sat to that, merely nodded.  
  
Rhea looked at him, the fear evident in her eyes. "I'm scared, Bill," she confessed. "I mean, what if it was a vision? I don't know what it was so I can't even do anything about it."  
  
"Just be careful, Rhae. Nothing's going to happen to you."  
  
"How do you know?" said Rhea, a little more sharply than she had intended. "You've never lost anyone and you have a huge family. I've just got my dad and if anything ever happens to him, I don't know what I'd do!" She then burst into tears.  
  
Bill, who had been sitting right across from her, got up, moved to the seat next to her and wrapped his arms around her. Rhea gratefully moved into his embrace and allowed him to comfort her once again. For a long time they sat there, Bill stroking Rhea's hair and telling her that everything would be fine. Neither of them noticed the three figures watching from the compartment window high-fiving each other.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Sirius was waiting for Rhea when they got off the train. He looked tired, but was smiling nonetheless.  
  
"Oh, sweetie, I know, Ian owled me," he said, kissing his daughter's cheek.  
  
Rhea nodded. She briefly considered telling Sirius about her dream, but she decided against it.  
  
"How are you doing, Bill?" asked Sirius over Rhea's head.  
  
"I'm doing okay, Mr. Black," responded Bill.  
  
"Hey Uncle Sirius!" said Tonks.  
  
"Hey, Love. Is your mum here? I need to talk to her about something."  
  
Tonks pointed Andromeda out to Sirius, who went up to her and started talking.  
  
This left Tonks, Rhea, and Bill alone to say their goodbyes. They were soon joined by Hestia and Aimee.  
  
"I'll miss you guys so much," said Rhea.  
  
"Me, too," said Aimee.  
  
"Me, three!" said Tonks.  
  
They all hugged and exchanged their goodbyes. Soon only Bill and Rhea were left.  
  
"Meeting you was the highlight of this year, Rhae," he said softly. Rhea noticed a blush starting to creep up his neck.  
  
"Same here," agreed Rhea. "You're the only one I can really talk to."  
  
"I'll miss you. Owl me."  
  
"Everyday," Rhea smiled.  
  
He hugged her tightly. Rhea closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of him. The distinctly Bill smell that she had familiarized herself with over the year.  
  
They stayed that way until Sirius announced that they needed to leave. With one last goodbye, Rhea was on her way.  
  
"So, how was school? Glad you went?" Sirius teased, putting his arm around Rhea's shoulders.  
  
"It was amazing, Dad," said Rhea, holding Midnight close to her.  
  
"Good. And you'll be pleased to know that I managed not to set the house on fire."  
  
Rhea laughed, as she and Sirius walked away. Right now, her disturbing vision was the last thing on her mind. She was happy to be with her dad, just like it used to be.  
  
And that was all that mattered.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Oh my God, I can't believe it's over! First off, I'd like to thank the Academy, and my parents who were always there for me, and my friends who supported me, and.... Okay, you get the picture. But I have to say, do not give up hope just yet! There will be a lot more for Rhea, Bill, and everyone else. After all, each year at Hogwarts needs its own story, right? And guess what! I'm going to get started on those stories right now! Don't forget to leave a review. More reviews=more Rhea, lol! 


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